As we begin the Book of Exodus the figure of Moses is first introduced. From this point forward, he will be the central figure for the rest of the Torah. Therefore, it behooves us to delve deeply into his nature and soul history from the very beginning of his appearance in the Torah in order to understand on a deep level who Moses is.
The Zohar states that the soul of Moses is present in every generation. The Arizal explains that the letters of Moses’s name in Hebrew – mem, shin, heh – are an acronym for Moses, Shet (Seth), Hevel (Abel). As we learned in chapter one, the very first reincarnation was Seth, who was a gilgul of his murdered brother Abel. Subsequently, all reincarnations stem from this first one. The Arizal emphasized how many souls are connected to their root soul in Cain, the left shoulder of Adam, and Abel, his right shoulder. Due to the fact that Moses was a primary reincarnation of the two archetypal figures of Abel and Seth, and because of his position as the quintessential leader, his soul returns in every generation in the great sages, mystics, and leaders of Israel.
Even before the emergence of the Jewish people the soul of Moses was present in Noah, the leader of his generation. (In Fruits of the Orchard in the Torah portion of Noah the many connections between Noah and Moses are elucidated in great depth. Therefore, here we will focus on other soul connections of Moses).
Whereas Moses was from the soul of Abel, a number of people in his life were from the soul of Cain. Moses had to flee Egypt after he killed an Egyptian taskmaster who was beating a Jew. The Egyptian was the nefesh of Cain and in a classic case of “a measure for a measure” Moses buried him in the sand in turn for Cain killing Abel and burying him in the earth. Cain and Abel in spite of all that happened were still brothers and therefore had a deep connection. This is alluded to in the numeric value of “the Egyptian,” as he is referred to in the Torah, equaling exactly the name Moses. On a deep level it can be said that Moses had to kill his Egyptian characteristics in order to assume his true identity as a Jew.
Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, who he held in high regard, was considered to be the neshama of Cain, his more rectified side. In every soul, especially a root soul, there are aspects of good and other more negative levels. The initial letters of the three words Jethro said to Moses “I am your father-in-law Jethro,” ani chotencha Yitro, spell achi, “my brother.” Cain who thought he could escape Divine justice and declared “am I my brothers keeper?” received a tikun through Jethro, who advised Moses on how to set up an orderly and efficient system of judges (Reincarnation of Souls # 116, note 576).
Korach, the leader of the rebellion against Moses in the desert, embodied the ruach of Cain, as is alluded to in his name which begins with a kuf, as does the name Cain, followed by the letters reish and chet, the root of the word, ruach. In another archetypal case of “a measure for a measure,” the earth “opened its mouth” to swallow Korach, the same basic expression used to describe how the earth swallowed the blood of Abel when he was killed by Cain.
One of the main figures identified as being a spark of Moses was Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a great sage and mystic who lived during the tumultuous period of Roman rule and the failure of the Bar Kochba revolt. His teachings and the mystical tradition he handed down was formulated in the Zohar, the classic work of Kabbalah, mentioned extensively throughout this book. Similar to how Moses received and transmitted the written and oral Torah to Israel, so too, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in a period of great persecution passed on the cumulative mystical tradition to all subsequent generations.
Moses was forced to flee from Egypt, spending forty years in the desert elevating himself spiritually until God appeared to him at the burning bush. Similarly, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai had to escape the wrath of the Roman Empire, hiding in a cave for thirteen years. During this time he wrote the Zohar and worked on perfecting his soul.
The Arizal was also considered to be a spark of both Moses and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Even when living in Egypt he brought his family to the burial site of Rabbi Shimon in Meron for the first haircut of his three year old son. Later when he settled in Safed he was a frequent visitor to Meron, especially on Lag B’Omer, the anniversary of Rabbi Shimon’s passing away. He celebrated the day with particular fervor and joyous celebration.
The Arizal was especially fond of bringing his students to the burial place of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in order to learn Zohar. The special ambiance of the place and the spirit of Rabbi Shimon created a unique atmosphere in which to learn. One time when they were at the site the Arizal described to them how Rabbi Shimon’s inner circle would sit with him when learning together. He showed them the exact spot where Rabbi Shimon and his son Elazar would sit and where each of the students named in the Zohar had their places. He proceeded to reveal to them that they were the soul sparks of these very same students. He then sat in the place of Rabbi Shimon and placed Rabbi Chaim Vital, his primary student, in the place of Elazar, Rabbi Shimon’s son. He proceeded to sit each of his students in the place of a particular sage. When they were all seated he began to expound upon the Zohar. He then revealed to them that at that very moment the souls of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, his students and many great sages of the Kabbalah were actually present in order to hear their animated words of Torah. The Arizal told them that only he could actually envision them but that their presence was a true blessing (Shivchei HaAri p 26).
Regarding Moses the Midrash states: He is the first redeemer and he will be the last redeemer” (Exodus Rabbah 4:2). This statement ties the souls of Moses and the Mashiach together. The soul connection between Moses and Mashiach can be further seen in the first two letters – a mem and shin – of both names are identical.
The soul of Moses, as we learned, is present in every generation. Rabbi Shneur Zalman in the Tanya (chapter 42) explains that every Jew in fact contains a spark of Moses, manifest in the soul’s sense of knowing God, a power attributed especially to Moses. This soul power is the aspect of Moses as the first redeemer. As the final redeemer the spark of Moses in every Jew is manifest in the deep Messianic desire to rectify, redeem and heal the world (See Rectifying the State of Israel by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh; Gal Einai 2002; p 152 note 2).
This idea from the Tanya is actually based on the slightly earlier teaching from the Baal Shem Tov that every Jew possesses a spark of Mashiach. This holy spark is the innate leadership potential in each individual waiting to be manifest. When enough individuals clarify, harness and activate their own spark of Mashiach, a critical mass of redemptive energy will be set in motion, drawing redemption, and ultimately the revelation of Mashiach, into the world. Similar to how Moses is the first and last redeemer, he also embodies the first reincarnation from Abel to Seth, and he will represent the last reincarnations when all the souls leave the “body,” the treasure house of souls Above, in preparation for Mashiach.
